Movie Mom

Movie Mom

Firewall

posted by jmiller
B-
Lowest Recommended Age:High School
MPAA Rating:Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence, and for some language.
Profanity:Some strong language
Nudity/Sex:None
Alcohol/Drugs:Some social drinking
Violence/Scariness:Intense peril and violence, shooting
Diversity Issues:None
Movie Release Date:2006
DVD Release Date:2006

What can you do if you want to rob a bank and hotshot Harrison Ford has designed a foolproof security system? Well, firewalls may be unbreakable, but people are not. So, you tell him that if he doesn’t break into his own system, his family is dead.


Ford plays Jack Stanfield, computer security ace and loving husband and father. The bank he’s been protecting for 20 years is about to be merged, and he is suspicious of the new management (Terminator 2′s Robert Patrick) and intrigued by a possible new job offer. This distraction may explain why he’s not too suspicious when a belligerent bill collector shows up at his office, yelling about $95 thousand in gambling debts. But pretty soon some very mean guys are pointing guns at his family and wiring him for sound and pictures so they can track him when he leaves the house.


The thrills in this movie are strictly low-wattage. For a while it is fun to see Ford McGuyver his way around the security system with a fax machine, an iPod, GPS, and a cell phone, but it all disintigrates into a generic shoot-’em-up with nothing distinctive or surprising, except, perhaps, that after all these decades, Ford still knows how to act and do stunts at the same time. Virginia Madsen is wasted in the the “No, Jack, no!”/”Don’t you DARE touch my children!” role. Paul Bettany has a nicely cool vibe but his character, like the others, is underwritten, and the script’s twists won’t surprise anyone who’s ever seen a Harrison Ford movie, most of which are better than this one.

Parents should know that the movie has extreme peril and violence, including shooting, punching, explosions, and general slamming things into characters, some of whom are injured and killed. A child is in peril and nearly dies due to an allergic reaction. There is brief strong language, someone gives the finger, and there is some social drinking.


Families who see this film should talk about how to protect themselves from identify theft. They should talk about the way that some bank robbery movies get the audience on the side of the bank and others get the audience on the side of the thieves.

Families who enjoy this film will also enjoy Air Force One and Witness, also starring Ford. They might also like to watch some other bank robbery movies, including $, the original The Thomas Crown Affair, Bandits, The Desperate Hours and its 1990 remake, and Dog Day Afternoon (mature material).



You Might Also Like...
Previous Posts

What Maisie Knew
She has the face of a flower and she still believes that the world is an enchanted place that cannot hurt her.  She does not understand what is going on around her, but we do. Her name is Maisie (the exquisite Onata Aprile).  She is seven and she lives in New York with her parents, a fading roc

posted 5:41:13pm May. 23, 2013 | read full post »

Interview: Scott McGehee and David Siegel of "What Maisie Knew"
"What Maisie Knew" is a touching, beautifully acted new movie starring Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan as a couple breaking up but the story is seen through the eyes of their little girl.  I spoke to the directors, Scott McGehee and David Siegel, about the film.  Remarkably, though it is set in th

posted 3:59:52pm May. 23, 2013 | read full post »

Contest: Bink & Gollie
I am always especially excited to have one of the fabulous Scholastic Storybook DVDs to give away, and this one is extra important for families because it is about what it means to be a friend.  This all-new compilation is headlined by “Bink & Gollie” from Kate DiCamillo, the Newbery Medal

posted 12:00:57pm May. 23, 2013 | read full post »

The Hangover Part III
Let's hope that this movie is the much-needed stake in the heart to the triligization of popular movies (okay, with an exception for Richard Linklater's "Before" series and "Toy Story").  I began to think of the three films as a shell game, with the pea of novelty and humor under just one shell, an

posted 11:02:34am May. 23, 2013 | read full post »

Jen Chaney Ranks the "Fast and Furious" Movies
Just in time for the release of the sixth in the series of car chase extravaganzas that began with "The Fast and the Furious" is Esquire's smart and funny assessment of installments 1-6 from my friend Jen Chaney. It’s tempting to lump all of the Fast and the Furious movies into one massive clutc

posted 3:39:37pm May. 22, 2013 | read full post »

Advertisement
Comments Post the First Comment »
post a comment

Post a Comment

By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.





Report as Inappropriate

You are reporting this content because it violates the Terms of Service.

All reported content is logged for investigation.